Resurrection of Our Lord – April 4, 2021 The Order of Worship at 9:00 am To mitigate spread of COVID-19 in our community, on-site activities— including worship services—have been cancelled. Many activities continue, but in different formats: ZOOM for interactive small groups and classes, togo meals for the Food Ministry, and streaming worship services and music from the archives. Please use the links available on the viewing page to let us know that you are worshiping from home, to offer any prayer requests, to let us know if you need help or are available to help a neighbor, and to continue to give to support the ministries that continue, socially distant for the common good. As always, we pray that worship at Redeemer is a blessing for you, even as your participation blesses us, even though we are not together in person. As you are comfortable, we encourage you to sing the hymns and to sing or speak the congregational portions of the liturgy in bold type. This bulletin contains content protected by copyright and is provided only for you to participate in worship. Please delete or destroy any physical or digital copy of the material following the service.
WELCOME 1
ANNOUNCEMENTS CONFESSION In the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit. | Amen. Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. | Amen. Let us confess our sin in the presence of God. Most merciful God, | we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen. God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith. | Amen.
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HYMN
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Jesus Christ is Ris’n Today
PRAYER OF THE DAY O God, you gave your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption, and by his glorious resurrection you delivered us from the power of death. Make us die every day to sin, so that we may live with him forever in the joy of the resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.|Amen. CHILDREN’S SERMON THE READING 1 Corinthians 15: 1-11 The core of the Christian faith and Paul’s preaching is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As the crucified and risen Christ appeared to the earliest of his followers, so we experience the presence of the Risen One in the preaching of this faith. Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of 4
them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe. GOSPEL Mark 16: 1-8 The resurrection of Jesus is announced, and the response is one of terror and amazement. When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint [Jesus’ body]. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. After the reading: The word of the Lord. | Thanks be to God. SERMON
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Pastor Mark H. Larson
HYMN
I Heard an Old, Old Story
O victory in Jesus My Savior forever He sought me and bought me With His redeeming blood He loved me ere I knew Him And all my love is due Him He plunged me to victory Beneath the cleansing flood 1. I heard an old old story How a Savior came from glory How He gave His life on Calvary To save a wretch like me I heard about His groaning Of His precious blood's atoning Then I repented of my sins And won the victory
2. I heard about His healing Of His cleansing pow'r revealing How He made the lame to walk again And caused the blind to see And then I cried dear Jesus Come and heal my broken spirit And somehow Jesus came and brought To me the victory 3. I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory And I heard about the streets of gold Beyond the crystal sea About the angels singing And the old redemption story And some sweet day I'll sing up there The song of victory
CCLI Song # 1259 Eugene M. Bartlett © Words: 1939 Mrs. E.M. Bartlett. Renewed 1967 Albert E. Brumley And Sons (Admin. by ClearBox Rights, LLC) Music: 1939 Mrs. E.M. Bartlett. Renewed 1967 Albert E. Brumley And Sons (Admin. by ClearBox Rights, LLC) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI License # 2888121
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Let us rejoice and be glad on this festival of Christ’s resurrection, offering our prayers to God for all in any need, concluding each petition with Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great. We praise you for the gift of the global church and for all the newly baptized around the world. And we pray that you send the Spirit of the resurrection into every assembly of the baptized. Give us joy in one another and hope in the face of sorrow, 6
Hear us, O God. | Your mercy is great. We praise you for the wondrous earth that you continuously create and for the myriad plants and animals that show forth your glory. And we pray for everything in nature that is endangered, from the undersea coral to the elephants of Africa. Form us into caretakers who protect your lands and seas, Hear us, O God. | Your mercy is great. We praise you for the times of peace and freedom that you have granted to us. And we pray for everyone who suffers from yet more gun violence, from prejudice and injustice, from oppression and poverty. Bring an end to wars and tyrannical rule throughout the world, Hear us, O God. | Your mercy is great. We praise you for the food that you provide and for the promise of an everlasting feast for all peoples. And we pray for everyone who is hungry, for residents in refugee camps, for teenage migrants, for the people who live on our streets, that they all may be fed. Show us how to meet the needs of the hungry in our world, Hear us, O God. | Your mercy is great. We praise you for a lessening of the pandemic and for the availability of vaccines. And we pray for everyone who is still contracting the coronavirus, for healthcare workers, and for all who have lost family, friends, and livelihood. Restore health throughout the world, Hear us, O God. | Your mercy is great. 7
We praise you for each day of health and well-being. And we pray for everyone who suffers from illness of any kind, for those who today will die, and for those we name here before you: Accompany all who face troubles and sorrows, Hear us, O God. | Your mercy is great. We praise you for your words to Isaiah, to Paul and Peter, to Mary Magdalene and the women at the tomb, and to each one of us. Receive now, we pray, our silent prayers, Hear us, O God. | Your mercy is great. We praise you for the presence of the risen Christ among us and for the witness of all who have died in the faith, especially Benedict the African. We pray for... And we pray that at the end of all things you raise us with all the saints to rejoice in your presence forever, Hear us, O God. | Your mercy is great. In thanksgiving for the new life of the resurrection, we raise these prayers to you, trusting in your never-ending goodness and mercy; through Jesus Christ. our Savior and Lord. | Amen. GATHERING OF GIFTS Please use the Help and Give links to support the ministry of Redeemer. MUSICAL INTERLUDE by Redeemer Jazz Trio 8
THANKSGIVING FOR THE WORD Holy, living, and loving God, we praise you for creating an earth of splendor and for making us into a people of your own. With all the saints who have received your Word we worship you, holy God. | We worship you, holy God. We praise you for your eternal Word, for conquering the force of death, and for raising us up through the resurrection of our Lord. For your Word alive among us, we praise you, living God. | We praise you, living God. Breathe the Spirit of the risen Christ on us, that led by your Word we may honor your earth and its many peoples and serve all who are in need. For your Word animating our Easter life, we bless you, loving God. | We bless you, loving God. All worship, praise, and blessing be to you, Source of life, Ruler of life, and Power of life, today and forever. | Amen. LORD’S PRAYER Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. 9
BLESSING May our glorious God grant you a spirit of wisdom to know and to love the risen Lord Jesus. The God of life, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever. | Amen. HYMN
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Hallelujah, We Sing Your Praises!
SENDING Alleluia! Christ is risen. | Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia! Go in peace. Share the good news. Alleluia! | Thanks be to God. Alleluia! POSTLUDE by Redeemer Jazz Trio CONGREGATIONAL CARE We express our sincere sympathy to Sharen Kilpatrick and family at the death of her mother, Jeanne Andersen on March 30. May God comfort them in their time of grief.
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LAST WEEK AT REDEEMER Worship attendance for March 28: Livestream 529, Facebook Live 107 CONGREGATIONAL MEETING April 18th, 2021 | 12:30 PM Webinar The purpose of the meeting will be to vote on ratification of amendments to Redeemer's constitution to modify the membership of the Congregational Council. These amendments incorporate the most recent changes from the ELCA model constitution and address concerns that were raised about the structure and membership of the Council at the congregation meeting on December 6th, 2020. Council Members will be available at a Q&A session before the meeting to discuss the amendments and answer questions. The Q&A session will be held on April 11th at 12:30 PM. * If you will be attending either the congregational meeting or the Q&A session by phone, please contact the Redeemer main number at (404) 8748664 for details on how to attend and vote.
The congregation has approved the following amendments to theRedeemer constitution on March 21, 2021. Note: The deleted text is marked through; the added text is underlined. C12.01. The voting membership of the Congregation Council shall consist of the called pastors, the financial secretary, the treasurer, and not more than 15 members of this congregation, who are elected as provided in C12.02c. 12
C12.01. The membership of the Congregational Council shall be the 15 members who are elected as provided in C12.02, the financial secretary, thetreasurer, and the senior pastor. The voting members of the Council are the elected members and the senior pastor. The financial secretary and the treasurer are voting members only if they are elected Council members. In addition, the following changes will be needed: C12.02.b. Except as provided in C12.03, no person, other than the senior pastor, the financial secretary, and the treasurer, may serve consecutive terms on the Congregation Council. An outgoing Council member shall not be eligible to serve on the Council for the next three years after the conclusion of that member's term. C11.01.c. Officers of this congregation shall serve similar offices of the Congregation Council and shall be voting members of the Congregation Council only if they are elected members of the Council. These changes will be presented to the congregation for a ratification vote at a congregational meeting on April 18, 2021. If ratified then, these changes will go into effect uponnotification that the synod has approved them at its next Synod Council meeting.
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THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER 731 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30308 www.redeemer.org | 404.874.8664 | Emergency Line: 404.874.9759 The Rev. Mark H. Larson ...................................................................... Senior Pastor, ext. 201 The Rev. Ronald Bonner ................................... Pastor for Community Engagement, ext. 203 The Rev. Jonathan Trapp ................................................. Pastor for Faith Formation, ext. 233 The Rev. Jenny McLellan.................................................... Pastor for Member Care, ext. 224 STAFF Bob Boyd ........................................................... Director of Operations and Finance, ext. 232 Seth Brown................................................................... Facilities and Media Director, ext. 218 Robin Durdin ............................................................ Office Administration Director, ext. 204 Kate Elkins .................................................................................... Preschool Director, ext. 252 David Hansen ........................................................................... Adult Choral Director, ext. 236 Sarah Hawbecker .......................................... Organist & Children’s Music Director, ext. 206 Deacon Mary Houck .....................................Children & Family Ministries Director, ext. 227 Jennifer Isaacson ........................................................Financial Information Director, ext. 237 Karen Medford ............................Parish Nurse, and Adult Faith Formation Director, ext. 230 Hillary Nelson ............................................................ Youth Director, hnelson@redeemer.org Tawanda Searcy ................................................ Receptionist and Wedding Director, ext. 200 Stacey Williams .............................................................................................. Head of Security
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